Literature /
The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Edit Locked

"We shall not attempt to give the reader an idea of that tetrahedron nose- that horse-shoe mouth- that small left eye over-shadowed by a red bushy brow, while the right eye disappeared entirely under an enormous wart- of those straggling teeth with breaches here and there like the battlements of a fortress- of that horny lip, over which one of those teeth projected like the tusk of an elephant- of that forked chin- and, above all, of the expression diffused over the whole-that mixture of malice, astonishment, and melancholy. Let the reader, if he can, figure to himself this combination."

Advertisement:

The other famous novel by Victor Hugo. Written in 1831, Notre Dame de Paris, known in English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is a rich, meandering tale that addresses messy relationships, fate, and the future of architecture in 1482. The English title is a misnomer, since the protagonist of the story is Esmeralda, the original title being a metaphor on the cathedral who serves as the central location of the novel, and Esmeralda herself (though one could argue the cathedral is itself a character). Victor Hugo strongly protested against the English title, as it turns the focus from the cathedral onto the characters.

The hunchback is Quasimodo, the deaf, one-eyed, hunchbacked, monstrously ugly bell-ringer of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris - Victor Hugo's description leaving him far more hideous than any of those cutesy adaptations you might have seen. Abandoned outside the church at the age of four, he was taken in out of kindness by the Archdeacon of Josas, Claude Frollo, who raised him in the church and introduced him to the bells.

Advertisement:

When the hitherto chaste Frollo sees the gypsy girl Esmeralda dancing in the street one day, he finds himself stricken with lust, and doesn't know how to deal with it. So, sure as Love Makes You Evil, he grabs Quasimodo (for muscle) and tries to kidnap her. The attempt is foiled by Phoebus, Captain of the Archers. It is spectacularly not foiled by lovable slacker-poet Pierre Gringoire, who gets knocked out trying to save the girl.

Later that night, however, Esmeralda temporarily marries the poet, to save his life from her friends at the Court of Miracles. That doesn't mean she's going to let her new "husband" touch her, mind you, or that she's going to give up her dreams of marrying Phoebus. Phoebus likes the look of her, himself, and although he's already engaged to his teenage cousin Fleur-de-Lys, he's not opposed to a bit on the side.

Advertisement:

Esmeralda's small kindness to Quasimodo when he is in the stocks for the kidnapping attempt (Frollo having let him take the fall) makes her an angel in Quasimodo's mind, and he is henceforth devoted to her. This eventually, and painfully, puts him in conflict with Frollo, whose combination of lust and loathing for Esmeralda makes him increasingly unstable.

Amidst the drama and tragedy resulting from everybody's fatal obsessions, Hugo includes leisurely chapters on the architecture of Paris and the expected impact of the newly-developed printing press.

Agony of the Feet: Esmeralda is threatened with having her foot crushed in a vise unless she confesses to Phoebus's murder.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When he's about to be executed, Gringoire begs for his life to the King quite verbosely. It works.

All Love Is Unrequited: Frollo, Quasimodo and (to a lesser extent) Gringoire are in love with Esmeralda, who only has eyes for Phoebus, who is engaged to Fleur-de-lys and only interested in Esmeralda for sex.

Ambiguous Gender: At least in the English translation, Djali is referred to with masculine and feminine pronouns, with Esmeralda specifically stating, "She is [her] sister." Gringoire notes that the innocent and naïve Esmeralda does not seem to distinguish between male and female.

Anti-Villain / Tragic Villain: Frollo. He was originally a good man. When baby Quasimodo was abandoned on the cathedral's foundlings bed, nobody would take him because of his ugliness, except Frollo, who raised him like a son. He also raised his younger brother, Jehan when their parents died, and supported him later, even though he disapproved of Jehan's lifestyle. He did evil things only because of his obsessive and unrequited love for Esmeralda, and it's described how much he's suffering (being aware that you're slowly going insane is NOT a pleasant process.)

Anyone Can Die: By the end of the story, only Phoebus, Fleur-de-Lys, Gringoire and Djali are left alive.

Attempted Rape: Frollo tries to rape Esmeralda one night in the bell tower, until Quasimodo comes and nearly kills him before he recognizes Frollo. When he does, he completely submits to him, and Esmeralda uses a dagger to threaten Frollo out of the room.

Beauty Equals Goodness: Esmeralda is completely taken in by Phoebus' outward appearance and believes he's her knight in shining armour, when he's actually a despicable lout. By contrast Quasimodo, while ugly and socially unappealing, is still one of the most decent characters in the book.

Because You Were Nice to Me: Quasimodo's devotion to Esmeralda starts when she shows him kindness and brings him water on the scaffold even though the only reason he's up there is because he tried to kidnap her at Frollo's behest.

Burn the Witch!: Esmeralda is charged with witchcraft, among other offenses. However, she's sentenced to death by hanging, not by burning at the stake.

Deconstruction: Phoebus is a fitting deconstruction of the Knight in Shining Armor, as he does manage to save Esmeralda from Quasimodo and Frollo in the beginning, although rather than being chivalrous and noble, he is a drunk, a womanizer, and a bully, with virtually no idealistic qualities, behaving more like... well, like a medieval soldier. Likewise, Esmeralda, as the 16-year-old Damsel in Distress, is also fickle, foolish, and hopelessly idealistic. Interestingly enough, the Disney version decided it would be easier to play the tropes straight.

Disney Villain Death: Frollo's death scene actually happens in a vaguely similar way to the Disney version, for once. The big difference is that it was Quasimodo who threw him off to his doom, in a fit of rage after Esmeralda was hanged, and there is no molten copper in the book. Instead, Frollo falls onto the roof of a house, rolls off and hits the pavement.

Does Not Like Shoes: Esmeralda in some adaptations, most notably the 1956 film version with Lollobrigida and Disney version. In the novel Esmeralda wears shoes at the beginning but spends its second half (starting from her rescue by Quasimodo) barefoot.

Doorstop Baby: Quasimodo was abandoned outside the church and adopted by Frollo.

Downer EndingFrollo gives up Esmeralda to the troops and watches while she is being hanged. Seeing Frollo laughing at Esmeralda's execution, Quasimodo pushes him from the heights of Notre Dame to his death, then he commits suicide.

Driven to Suicide: Quasimodo, having seen or participated in the deaths of everyone he loves.

Evil Cripple: Not Quasimodo, but the auditor (assistant judge) who vainly tries to hide his deafness but resorting to rote trial dialogue. He doesn't realize Quasimodo is also deaf, resulting in a scene that the mob finds funny, but only infuriates the auditor, leading to Quasimodo's unjust punishment.

The Hedonist: Jehan Frollo is the 15th century equivalent of a frat boy. Supposedly a student, he spends all of his freetime and (his brother's) money on hedonistic pursuits: expensive clothes, parties, and courting loose women.

Historical-Domain Character: King Louis XI. Gringoire was also a real person, although he was born circa 1475 and would still have been a child at the time the novel takes place.

Hope Spot: When it turns out that Gudule is actually Esmeralda's mother, she hides Esmeralda in her cell, and it seems that she will escape the executioners. Gudule manages to convince the soldiers that Esmeralda ran away, and they are about to leave... but just then, Esmeralda hears Phoebus' voice and cries out for Phoebus to help her. Phoebus doesn't even hear her, but the soldiers grab her and take her to the gallows. Gudule is killed while trying to protect her.

Hot Gypsy Woman: Esmeralda fits the appearance, but not the personality; she's quite innocent and a virgin, rather than fiery and worldly. Furthermore, she was raised by Gypsies, but not one by birth.

The Ingenue: Again, Esmeralda, especially the negative features of such a character.

I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Quasimodo does what he can to make Esmeralda happy, including acting as a messenger to Phoebus, whom he knows to be a jerk.

In Which a Trope Is Described: The chapter titles, as was the style in the day. For example, "The Inconveniences of Following a Pretty Woman through the Streets in the Evening" or "The Retreat in which Monsieur Louis of France says his Prayers".

Just Whistle: Quasimodo gives Esmeralda a literal whistle for this purpose.

Karma Houdini: Phoebus, who has no problem taking advantage of Esmeralda's innocence, or letting her die on trumped up charges including charges of his own murder. However, he suffers a tragic fate at the end: he gets married.

Kill 'em All: Seriously. Who doesn't die in this book? Gringoire, Djali, Phoebus and Fleur-de-Lys. And that's about it.

Knight in Shining Armor: Phoebus more or less fits this trope, especially in Esmeralda's eyes. He's still a jerk, though.

Lost in Imitation: Quasimodo is originally a secondary character, but his role has been exaggerated and romanticized in the public mind though many adaptations. The architectural themes have generally been minimized.

Lovable Coward: Gringoire. He tries to do his best to help save Esmeralda, but when his own neck is at stake he decides he'd rather not.

Love Dodecahedron: Frollo, Quasimodo, Phoebus, and Gringoire are all attracted to Esmeralda, who is married to Gringoire, but has eyes only for Phoebus, who is engaged to Fleur-de-Lys.

Love at First Sight: Deconstructed. Esmeralda falls for Phoebus instantly after he saves her from Quasimodo and Frollo's kidnapping attempt. But since she doesn't really know him, she sees him as a Knight in Shining Armor, instead of the cynical, selfish jerk that he really is. Frollo also falls for Esmeralda the first time he sees her (albeit a lot less purely); but this love is a dark, unhealthy obsession that eventually drives him mad.

Male Gaze: Every description of Esmeralda. Did we really need the details of her half-dressed state, her "waving locks, more lustrous than the raven's wing", her "half-naked shoulders" and "bare legs" — as she's being dragged to the gallows?

Market-Based Title: Published in the original French as Notre-Dame de Paris, usually published in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

Meaningful Name: "Quasi modo" in Latin translates to "almost standard". The Disney film tells us it means half-formed.

Actually, the name is in line with common medieval naming conventions, Quasi modo actually means "Similar to", and is derived from the Introit of the day he was found, which starts with "Like newborn babies". Meaningful nonetheless, though.

Mr. Vice Guy: Gringoire is deemed a coward by the other characters but otherwise is easily the nicest character in the book.

Oedipus Rex: Both Quasimodo and his father-figure are in love with the same woman.

Only Known by Their Nickname: Esmeralda, in fact. At her introduction in the book, she is referred to as "La Esmeralda", actually "The Emerald". She is essentially nicknamed by the Gypsies and the beggars, and her true name, Agnes, is only revealed at the end of the book.

Promotion to Parent: Frollo's parents die while he's a young man, leaving him to raise his baby brother, and then Quasimodo, whom he adopts.

Pure Is Not Good: Quasimodo and Frollo have no idea how to deal with sexual frustration since they've lived all their lives away from the opposite sex.

Reality Ensues: When Quasimodo shoves Frollo off the top of the cathedral for his complicity in getting Esmeralda hanged, Frollo doesn't hit the ground straight away. He gets caught on some guttering, and several paragraphs are spent on his struggle to try and reach a safe spot. Then, when the guttering breaks, he falls and hits the roof of a house, falls off that and hits the street, which is what finally kills him.

Switched at Birth: The infant Agnes (who eventually became Esmeralda) was abducted by a gypsy tribe, who replaced her with none other than the infant Quasimodo. No wonder Paquette/Gudule fell to pieces.

Taking the Heat: Only Quasimodo is punished for the initial kidnapping attempt.

Thieves' Cant: Argot features heavily here, being that it focuses so much on gypsies.

Too Dumb to Live: Esmeralda takes on severe shades of this when she's hiding in her mother's cell, trying to evade detection by the guards... and getting away with it... only to dash for the window and start crying for Phoebus the moment she hears his voice.

Virgin Power: Esmeralda has an amulet which is supposed to help her find her mother, but believes it will only work so long as she is a virgin.

Vow of Celibacy: Frollo is torn between the pious celibacy he is supposed to maintain as an archdeacon and his lust for Esmeralda, becoming increasingly unstable as he fails to reconcile the two.

Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: For those used to how Frollo was in the Disney version, his characterization here (a man who tried so hard to be genuinely good that his perverse lust drives him tragically insane) can be a bit surprising.

Quasimodo also qualifies; sure he's a nasty little misanthrope, but considering the fact that he's been rejected by society at large because of his appearance, can you really blame him?

Writers Suck: Gringoire's career as a poet is an abject failure. The opening chapters make clear that no one except him is paying any attention to his mystery play.

Wrongly Accused: Esmeralda is arrested for stabbing Phoebus, which was actually done by Frollo in a fit of jealousy.

Yandere: Frollo's obsession for Esmeralda drives him to extreme measures to keep her to himself.

Yank the Dog's Chain: An especially cruel example. Esmeralda's mother, Paquette, was a prostitute who doted upon her daughter. When Esmeralda was kidnapped by Gypsies when she was still a baby, Paquette was completely devastated and became an anchoress, spending fifteen years in a small cell, repenting and begging for God to give her back her daughter. They're eventually reunited... only for Esmeralda to be taken away to be executed almost immediately afterwards. Paquette is killed while trying to prevent Esmeralda's arrest.

Younger Than They Look: Archdeacon Claude Frollo is only 36 years old, yet he is nearly bald, with only a few white hairs on his head. Some film adaptations either give him a full head of hair or make him completely bald.

Community

Tropes HQ

TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Privacy Policy